Westwood, CA- There’s a lot of buzz about Amber Mark, a twenty-three year old, singer songwriter who released her first track, “S P A C E” less than a year ago on Soundcloud. There’s a good reason for that … she’s dope as fu … shut yo mouth!

With one EP under her belt, “3.33am”, and releasing new music at a pretty steady clip- her new song “Heatwave” was put out on Soundcloud only 4 days ago- her music has been catching the ears of some of music’s hottest tastemakers and getting spins and features across the board (i.e. DJ Zane Lowe featured the track on his Beats 1 shot, Apple placed her music on iTunes homepage with the “Hot Tracks” moniker and has charted on Spotify’s “Global Viral Chart”).

KCRW and the Hammer Museum couldn’t have found a better headliner for the installment of their “Rebel Rebel” summer concert series. Her music is groove inducing. A mix of soul and house, and even a sprinkle of disco flavor here and there, reminding me a little bit of Ce Ce Peniston, but tempered for the current time, infectious and swinging. Her richly textured alto vocals were never forced, coming effortlessly from her diaphragm, giving it an organically bodied weight. That natural vibe couldn’t have been more perfect for this summer eve concert.

There’s often a “learning curve” for new artist to break into the collective conscious, but my gut is telling me that Amber has found her niche and its only a matter of time before the sounds I heard at the Hammer Museum are heard by all, with the masses clamoring for more.

Derrick K. Lee is a music attorney, blogger, concert photographer and co-owner of Blurred Culture. He goes to a lot of shows and sometimes he writes good. Music is his boo.
All photos are edited with iPhoto. Lightroom edits can be made upon request. For prints and/or approvals for special uses of any photo taken by Derrick, please contact him directly.